Tadeusz Kosciuszko
Tadeusz Kosciuszko (otherwise referred to as Thaddeus Kosciuszko) is a Polish volunteer in the Continental Army. Series Appearance He first appears when Sarah and Henri come upon him fortifying General Horatio Gates headquarters at Bemis Heights before the Battle of Saratoga (Episode 23 "The Hessians are Coming" is the one only time he's shown in the series). While the Kids only meet him during this period and although their main attention is on Benedict Arnold, they quickly befriend the kind, gentle, and patient Kosciuszko who shows them about camp and takes the time to encourage Henri to pursue education. However, Thaddeus actually contributes throughout the American Revolution in both the North and Southern theaters of conflict, making considerable contributions to West Point, Saratoga, and various battles in the South under the command of General Nathanael Greene before returning to Poland in the hopes of establishing a constitutional republic there based on the ideals he witnessed and help make a reality in his beloved America. A Fort No Redcoat can Withstand During this interaction, Kosciuszko is seen instructing a few fellow soldiers under his command to erect an outer defense. Henri calls out to them, suggesting not to put the beams where they've arranged them. He climbs over the redoubt with a piece of wheat in his mouth, cheekily observing the soldiers. Thaddeus comes over, saying in a strong Polish accent, "I don't believe we have met." He introduces himself with a bow as, "Colonel of Engineers, Kosciuszko, at your service." He proceeds to kindly question, "You don't approve of the way I built this fort?" Henri thinks for a moment before responding, "Depends. Where'd you learn to build forts?" Kosciuszko smiles, "My home in Poland and an engineering school in France. Perhaps you can do a better job?" Henri excitedly exclaims, "I bet I could build a fort no Redcoat could get past." Kosciuszko places a leg up on the battlement, leaning forward with sincerity, "I would be interested in hearing them! Did you get your ideas in school?" Henri scoffs, "School? Pah! Who needs to go to school to build a fort!" Of Generals and Engineers Later, Sarah and Henri come across Thaddeus outside of General Benedict Arnold's tent. Acknowledging their presence with a smile, he continues to speak to the disgruntled general cooped up inside his quarters. Speaking so that the children can hear their conversation, Thaddeus converses with Arnold empathetically, "General Arnold, didn't I beg you to stop writing those nasty letters to General Gates?" Arnold retorts from inside, "He excluded me from staff meetings, he reassigned my men, and in his report to Congress he somehow failed to mention that I was at the battle!" Upset on Arnold's behalf, Henri explodes, "He didn't! Everyone in camp knows our victory was because of you!" Continuing on, Arnold explains while striding closer to them yet refusing to exit the tent, "And now, as my reward for pointing out those failures, General Gates has removed me from my command." After Sarah asks how he has the power to do that, Arnold shares that Congress has given Gates the power to suspend any officer for misconduct. He sits down, declaring that he will not give "Gates the pleasure of seeing me leave. I shall stay in my tent." The children make their report, commenting how James will be jealous they're recording such an exciting and dramatic development. "To Victory or Death" As another battle emerges, Arnold rejects his orders to stay in camp, jumps on his horse, and rides to join his men shouting "to Victory or Death!" while passing by Thaddeus and General Gates who are going over battle plans. General Gates hollers after him, ordering him back, while Kosciuszko is seen by his side, looking slightly amused. While Arnold rallies the troops to victory, he's considered a hero by the soldiers who help push the British to flee back to Saratoga. Through Arnold's bravery and decisiveness under pressure, they win one of the first major triumphs that puts the American forces on the offensive. However, he's been injured in the leg and also ordered back to his quarters. His disobedience later receives a reprimand, though Arnold manages to soon thereafter lead the Continentals to victory at Saratoga. Fine Craftsmanship Meanwhile, back at the camp, James enters with a bunch of deserting Hessians (New Brunswickers), including his new friend Gunter, who all agree to surrender and claim the chance to "Desert and Live Free." After this, James is introduced to Thaddeus as well. After their discussion as the teen journalists are preparing to leave, Kosciuszko expresses how "it was a pleasure to meet you both. Give my regards to Benjamin Franklinhttps://libertyskids.fandom.com/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin." They both smile, with Sarah reassuring him that they will. Out of nowhere, Henri emerges, yelling "Hey Koz!" before showing him a model "of the perfect fort guaranteed to win every battle." Thaddeus kneels down to closely evaluate Henri's work, gently complimenting his "fine craftsmanship." However, as Henri tries to show him the door of the fort, a mere touch makes it collapse, sending James into a fit of laughter while Sarah apologizes, offering her condolences to Henri. Thaddeus comes besides the young French boy, placing a hand on his shoulder in comfort, stating, "Don't worry, when you go to school, you'll learn how to fix it". American Revolutionary Background and Timeline Thaddeus initially hears of the Revolutionaries ideals and joins the Americans' pursuit of liberty and human rights. Sailing from Poland in June of 1776 with other foreign officers, he submits a volunteers application to the Second Continental Congress who appoints him under the oversight of Founding Father and famed inventor, Benjamin Franklin to assist the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. First sent to the Northern theater of war, he puts his military training (received from Warsaw University and the Military Academy of Paris) to good use, helping to build and strengthen Fort Billingsport in New Jersey. A few months later in October, Congress recognizes his abilities and efforts, offering him a commission as a colonel of engineers. In the spring of 1777, he is sent to support the Northern Army under the command of Major General Horatio Gates. Here he served to help maintain Fort Ticonderoga and other nearby bases, such as a battery on the Sugar Loaf heights (known as Mount Defiance). He made many wise tactical recommendations that were ignored, which, had they been adopted, could possibly have prevented British commander General John Burgoynehttps://libertyskids.fandom.com/wiki/John_Burgoyne from overwhelming the American forces in the Siege of Fort Ticonderoga. During the Americans flight, Kosciuszko devised numerous ways to prevent the British from catching up to the Army, such as by chopping down trees, damming rivers, and destroying bridges, successfully enabling the Continental's escape across the Hudson River. Following this, Kosciuszko proved instrumental in helping survey, select, and construct a defense at Bemis Heights. His quick thinking, attention to detail, and brilliant plans enabled the Americans to win an advantage which led to the victory at the Battle of Saratoga, although James and Sarah do not seem to be aware of Thaddeus's presence, instead concentrating on the feats of the dynamic and rising fame of Benedict Arnold. However, while Thaddeus received much praise from his fellow officers and those abroad aware of his impact tied to this significant American victory, Arnold and Gates earned a majority of the credit. Ever humble and diligent, Thaddeus continued on to West Point, spending more than 2 years helping to devise and develop fortifications along the curve of the Hudson River. With fellow engineers, they came up with an ingenious way to stop the British ships from continuing on and into the city of New York by laying a giant iron chain across the river channel. They also constructed earthen redoubt defense works around the fort to add a protective layer. One of the most vital keys to controlling travel and access to Colonial cities and centers of commerce, West Point stood as one of the Continental's most cherished and valuable forts. Benedict Arnold, who had the full trust of Washington and the Continental Congress, was placed in command at West Point. However, after believing he had been snubbed for promotion, injured in several other campaigns, and growing increasingly bitter and jealous Arnold began to express concerns regarding the country's future. He seemed frustrated and pessimistic, even writing to Nathanael Greene and sharing his displeasure at the "depreciating currency, disaffection of the army, and internal fighting in Congress" while increasingly spending more time with Loyalist sympathizers, including Peggy Shippen, his new, beautiful, young wife. Arnold began sharing American troop and supply locations with the British and purposefully weakening its defenses and resources before fully intending to steal the defensive plans of West Point. Thankfully the plot was discovered and West Point remained in the hands of the Americans, Kosciusko's phenomenal handiwork going on to become the United States Military Academy, being the first to establish a civil engineering program (influenced/attributed to Kosciuszko?) and serving as a model for formal military education. After West Point, Thaddeus requested George Washingtonhttps://libertyskids.fandom.com/wiki/George_Washington to let him see combat, which he approved, sending him south to Virginia to aid the Southern War Department under Nathanael Greene. Here, he met Henri LeFevbre, whom he briefly taught military strategy and engineering to while they visited the military outpost in Camden. He even encouraged Henri in his battlement plans when Henri became frusterated with his unsuccessful design. He is one of Nathanael Greene's trusted advisers and his Chief of Engineers who helped to orchestrate the location, supply lines, and fortifications of American bases, the selection of optimal sites for future battles, and for building bateaux, scouting, identifying river crossings, and establishing intelligence reconnaissance networks. One of his greatest achievements during the American Revolution is his contributions and leadership during the "Race to the Dan" - the Continental Army and voluntary militias' escape while being chased by the British Army (led by Charles Cornwallis) across 200 miles over relatively un-mapped regions of rural country and the Yadkin and Dan Rivers, until safely and miraculously reaching Halifax, Virginia. This enabled the Continentals to live to fight another day and regroup with more reinforcements, leading directly to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. While a loss, the Continentals severely crippled the British Army and giving hope to the American's cause. Over the next 2 years, Kosciuszko helped dispel British power from the region, participating in significant skirmishes and battles such as at the Second Battle of Camden, the Battle of Cowpens, the Battle of the Waxhaws, and the Siege of the Star Fort at Ninety Six (where he received his only wound in 7 years of services - bayoneted in the buttocks during an assault of the fort). Once the Continentals infiltrated North and South Carolina, Thaddeus took over the intelligence network in the area after the death of his friend Colonel John Laurens, preventing soldiers from disrespecting his body or commandeering his possessions, instead, giving them to slaves in need. Here, he also commanded 2 cavalry squadrons and an infantry unit. The last known battlefield command of the war occurred at James Island, South Carolina where he was almost killed. Surviving, he joined the Continental troops in the occupation of Charleston following British evacuation. Spending the rest of the war there, one of his last known public actions was to launch a fireworks display on April 23, 1783 to lead Charleston in celebrating the singing of the Treaty of Paris. Afterwards, he also supervised the fireworks during the July 4 celebration in Princeton, New Jersey at Congress's bidding. He was then promoted to brigadier general, yet still had not received his pay (unpaid for all his 7 years of service). Unable to finance his way back home in Poland, he lived in various places, taking up General Greene's offer to stay temporarily at his mansion with him and his family. During this time, he was inducted into the Society of Cincinnati and the American Philosophical Society. He later stayed in Philadelphia and visited with Jefferson and many of the other friends he made during the American Revolution, waiting to return to his native Poland, eager to share constitutional republican liberty with Europe, values he'd go on to protect for the rest of his life. Quotes: * Thomas Jefferson called him "the purest son of liberty I have ever known." * Kosciuszko encouraged Jefferson when he became president in 1800 to "always be virtuous, republican with justice and probity, without display and ambition. In a word, be Jefferson and my friend." * "There is a time when you have to sacrifice everything to have everything saved." * "We need to incite love in our own country in those, who didn’t know that they have their motherland." * "First step to remove the chains of slavery is to have the courage to be free, the first step to victory is to discover own strength." Trivia: * He's close friends with Thomas Jeffersonhttps://libertyskids.fandom.com/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayettehttps://libertyskids.fandom.com/wiki/Marquis_de_Lafayette, Nathanael Greene, John Laurens, and Horatio Gates, as well as with Agrippa Hull and many Native Americans. * One of his Native American friends includes Chief Little Turtle who gave him a peace pipe and tomahawk while Thaddeus gave him two pistols, telling him to "shoot dead the first man who comes to subjugate you." * Beyond his engineering and military skills, Kosciuszko is very artistically and musically talented, often spending his free time drawing his friends or scenes inspired by classical mythology, architecture, and literature, dancing at balls, conversing in Polish, English, and French, and even using his engineering skills to set off fireworks for celebrations. He even composed a polonaise and scored it for the harpsichord around 1777, which later became a famous song sung by Polish patriots during the November 1830 Uprising. * He studied at Warsaw University and received a royal scholarship to pursue a Parisian military education in engineering, fortification, and construction. * He was born February 4, 1746, making him an Aquarius - rather fitting, as an Aquarius is supposedly the most "humanitarian astrological sign" of the entire zodiac known for their "revolutionary thinking, compassion, and righteous convictions." * He was one of 4 children, from a lower aristocratic Polish family, and a devout Catholic. * His will dedicated his fortune to buying slaves their freedom and educating them as American citizens. * Upon leaving the United States for the final time, Kosciuszko left Thomas Jefferson the coat he had received from Russian Tsar Paul I as a token of his friendship and respect. This coat can be seen in Thomas Jefferson's presidential portrait. * He dies in Solothurn, Switzerland on October 15, 1817 at the age of 71, thought to have been injured from falling from his horse in the rain and worsening due to catching an illness. * During the Revolution, Kościuszko carried an old Spanish sword at his side, inscribed with the words, Do not draw me without reason; do not sheathe me without honour. * Thaddeus earned the military honors of the Virtuti Militari (Poland's highest military award for virtue and courage) and is a founding member of the Society of Cincinati.Category:Characters Category:Liberty's Kids Category:Historical People Category:Adults Category:Males Category:American Revolution Category:Polish Revolution Category:Polish Category:18th Century Category:19th Century Category:Engineer Category:Military Engineer Category:Military Category:Continental Army Category:Founding Era Category:Strategist Category:Bilingual Category:Dual Citizen